Political Europe

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Europe at the beginning of the Early Modern times was standing at the end of the feudal system and the beginning of the nations and their absolutistic leaders. The forming of the nations already started in the High Middle Ages, around the 12th century. After a destructive war between France and England that had lasted a hundred years, Europe began to take its present forms. It existed out of the Holy German Empire, that today is Germany, Bohemia, Austria, the north of Italy; France; England, Wales and Ireland; Scotland, The Netherlands (also called the “Low Countries”); Spain;  Portugal (until it became a part of Spain in the middle of the 16th century); Denmark and  Sweden; Norway; Poland; and Turkey or the Ottoman Empire. The other countries that we know today, like Russia, were all still split up in counties or were half parts of other countries.

In the 16th century, the most powerful ruler was Emperor Charles V. As the grandson of Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy on his father, Philip the Fair’s site, and of the Spanish “Catholic Kings”, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, on his mother, Joan of Castile (also known as Joan the Mad) her site, he was the heir of half of Europe. At the age of twenty, he was the king of Spain, the sovereign of the Netherlands, the emperor of the Holy Empire and had in his possession the New World. Of course, the man on his own couldn’t take care of such a huge territory. He had his helping people everywhere. The most important was the court at Malines (Mechelen), and later in Brussels, both capitols of the Netherlands. Under the regency of Charles’ aunt, Margaret of Austria, the court at Malines was one of the most important political and cultural centres of northern Europe. When Charles retired at 1555, his country was totally split up by war and by quarrels over the succession. Spain and the Netherlands went to his son’s possession; his brother became the new Emperor of a country still in war, a war that would take a bit less than a century to be solved.

France was the second biggest nation. For more than a century, the House of Valois controlled the crown, until at the end of the 16th century, the power was taken over by the House of Bourbon, after the last Valois king, died without an heir. The most important king of their house was Francis I (François I). He was constantly in conflict with the rest of Europe; he stood once at the side of the emperor, later he fought against him together with Charles’ most feared enemy, Sultan Suleiman I the Great. His court was also of great cultural importance, since he’d brought over Italian artists and even convinced Leonardo da Vinci to come at his court. After his death, his son and grandsons who succeeded him were never able to gain as much power and prestige as their predecessor.

In England, the new Tudor Dynasty tried to hold its possession. In 1485, Henry Tudor claimed the crown after he had defeated Richard III. He founded a new dynasty, which would be one of the greatest of the history of England. The highpoint was reached at the reign of his son Henry VIII (1509-1547). The king became a legend because of his six marriages. But his most important action was the separation from the Church of Rome and the foundation of the Anglican Church of England, with him as the leader. After his death, he lest a nine-year old boy on the throne, Edward VI, and the trouble began. It culminated in the execution of the Lord Protector, the Duke of Somerset, the king’s uncle. After Edward died at the age of fifteen, the new Lord Protector, the Duke of Northumberland, put his daughter-in-law, Jane Grey, on the throne. She was only fifteen and stayed queen for nine days, when Mary I Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII, claimed the throne. Mary did everything she could to restore the Roman Church n England, she even married the catholic king of Spain, but she failed and when she died, she left the throne to her protestant sister, Elizabeth I. With her, and age of improvement was set in. Unfortunately, she had no children and with her, the Tudor dynasty died too and the throne was now for the Scottish Stuarts.

In the East of Europe, small countries were making progress and dynasties that later would be of importance, were founded, like the Romanov Dynasty in Russia.